R. Kelly Owes The IRS $1.88M, Suggests He Has No Money To Skip Town If Released

He's already been denied once, but will the second time be the charm?

Source: Cook County Department of Corrections / Cook County Department of Corrections

R. Kelly is still in prison and is still trying to use the Coronavirus pandemic as a means to secure his freedom.

After seeing the likes of Tekashi 6ix9ine and Michael Cohen find their way out of the bing and into their own homes, TMZ is reporting that Kelly’s lawyers are continuing to make the case that not only should the “I Wish” singer be let out to avoid contracting COVID-19, but that he’s also too broke to try to flee the country.

According to the report, R. Kelly’s lawyers have filed documents showing that Kelly owes Uncle Sam a whopping $1,878,737.43, hence, he has no means to really skip town should he be allowed to go home during the pandemic.

As we first reported … prosecutors insist R. Kelly has the means to escape the country, claiming he’s already made more than $200k in royalties just this year. But, Kelly’s lawyers argue those royalties are likely the gross amount before agents and other people take their cuts. Plus, he says the huge IRS tax lien means the singer doesn’t really have access to this money anyway.They also argue any money he DOES have can be restricted by the feds as condition of his release from jail. Kelly’s lawyers also point out while the feds were building a case against him, the singer “made absolutely no attempt to flee” and “never once failed to appear” in court.Seems like the pied piper of pedophilia really trying to do everything he can to get the heck out of prison especially given that Kelly falls into a category of prisoners particularly vulnerable to the virus. With that being said documents filed this morning by Kelly’s lawyer, Steven Greenberg claim that an inmate on Kelly’s floor has already been hospitalized with COVID-19.Whether or not any of this will be enough to sway the judge to grant Kelly a release from prison remains to be seen, but given the severity of the crimes he’s been charged with, the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer may continue to find himself in a cage.